Methodist Church Nigeria, USA

Methodist Church Nigeria, USA Methodist Church Nigeria, USA seeks to provide opportunity for education, interactions and spiritual support for God's children.

01/25/2023

God is good

10/03/2022

2022, October 2
Sunday Tonic 39
Facilitators: Sister Maria Okpara & Sister Yvonne Harold.
Summary: Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW).

Increase our faith- Luke 17:5-10
Have you ever wondered why the apostles asked the Lord “Increase our faith”? Maybe we need to appreciate all that our Lord had been saying to them on that particular day.
In the first four verses, Jesus Christ was talking to them about love, tolerance and forgiveness. Then in verses 6-10, He told them a parable to show the importance of humility and doing what we have been commanded to do by our Father without feeling like we have done too much.
The apostles knew that these virtues do not come easy to man in his natural state. You and I know that too. So perhaps after they had battled with the sheer impossibility of living as the Savior had asked, they cried out “Increase our faith”!! This could therefore be considered to mean “increase our faith to know that with You, we can do all these things You are asking us to do; !!! “Increase our faith so we may live”!!!
The apostles must have heard (just like we have also heard today) that “the just shall live by faith”. And who is a just person? Prophet Habakkuk portrayed a just person as someone who puts his or her faith in God (Habakkuk 2:4). If we rely on our strength, we will never live but if God is the object of our faith, we will indeed live.
So “increase our faith” that we may live will involve:
- Having complete faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Yielding our hearts and lives to Him.
- Working out our salvation by constantly and consistently seeking God first.
- Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do.
Of course, God calls us to do a lot of things that do not come to us naturally but it is for these things that we ask God to “increase our faith”. So when we pray to God to increase our faith, we are requesting that He strengthens us in our weaknesses, help us to trust and obey Him, know Him more, open the eyes of our hearts to be more enlightened (Eph. 1:18).
The result is that we start to enjoy doing the things that God wants us to do.
I pray that we all will come to the point where we also ask of our Father “increase our faith”.

10/03/2022

2022, October 2
Sunday Tonic 39
Facilitator: Sister Maria Okpara & Sister Yvonne Harold.
Summary: Dr. Chinwe Ntekim
(OOW).

Increase our faith- Luke 17:5-10
Have you ever wondered why the apostles asked the Lord “Increase our faith”? Maybe we need to appreciate all that our Lord had been saying to them on that particular day.
In the first four verses, Jesus Christ was talking to them about love, tolerance and forgiveness. Then in verses 6-10, He told them a parable to show the importance of humility and doing what we have been commanded to do by our Father without feeling like we have done too much.
The apostles knew that these virtues do not come easy to man in his natural state. You and I know that too. So perhaps after they had battled with the sheer impossibility of living as the Savior had asked, they cried out “Increase our faith”!! This could therefore be considered to mean “increase our faith to know that with You, we can do all these things You are asking us to do; !!! “Increase our faith so we may live”!!!
The apostles must have heard (just like we have also heard today) that “the just shall live by faith”. And who is a just person? Prophet Habakkuk portrayed a just person as someone who puts his or her faith in God (Habakkuk 2:4). If we rely on our strength, we will never live but if God is the object of our faith, we will indeed live.
So “increase our faith” that we may live will involve:
- Having complete faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
- Yielding our hearts and lives to Him.
- Working out our salvation by constantly and consistently seeking God first.
- Allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us in all we do.
Of course, God calls us to do a lot of things that do not come to us naturally but it is for these things that we ask God to “increase our faith”. So when we pray to God to increase our faith, we are requesting that He strengthens us in our weaknesses, help us to trust and obey Him, know Him more, open the eyes of our hearts to be more enlightened (Eph. 1:18).
The result is that we start to enjoy doing the things that God wants us to do.
I pray that we all will come to the point where we also ask of our Father “increase our faith”.

09/19/2022

2022, September 18
Sunday Tonic 37
Facilitator: Very Rev Dr. Ifeanyichukwu Nwade (Bishop Elect USA Diocese)
Summary: Dr. Chinwe Ntekim (OOW).

There’s a balm in Gilead
Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
For all scholars of the Bible, it is interesting to note how Prophet Jeremiah’s writing is the intersection between him and God and between human and divine.
The verses we studied tonight follow the same pattern. In these verses (Jer. 8:18-9:1) Jeremiah’s words and God’s words merge, talking about people current status and impending doom that would soon befall Judah and Jerusalem.
The verses can be broken down thus:
Vs 18- “I would comfort myself in sorrow”. This is expression of grief by the Prophet.
Vs 19&20- The problem of idolatry as the people turn to idols instead of turning to God, is addressed. And that leads us to examine ourselves today and try to see what the idols are in our lives today. If we are honest with ourselves, these idols have affected our relationship with our Father (See 1 John 2:15-17; 1 Tim 6:6-10; Matt. 13:19-22).
This idol worshiping led to God’s question of indictment (vs19c)- “why have they provoked Me to anger with their carved image...”
And He is asking us the same question today; though the idols of today are not carved images but other things that take the place of God in our lives.
Vs 20- This expresses the people’s lament; “ The harvest is past, the summer is ended and we are not saved”. There can be no salvation if there is no true repentance and return to God.
Vs 21- This is a further expression of grief from the Prophet.
Vs 22-9:1 - The Lord’s judgment and the people’s lack of understanding led to the further grief expressed by Jeremiah and God. This resulted in the question “Is there no balm in Gilead....”
If the weeping Prophet was here today in 2022, he would be saying the exact same thing about those who call themselves “believers”.
There’s only one true balm of Gilead, who provides lasting healing and restoration. His name is Jesus Christ. He is merciful and full of grace and provides permanent healing to the wounded.
Have you found the balm of Gilead? Are you committed to a lasting relationship with Him? And do you feel grief and lament for those who have not found Him yet?
Blessings.

09/05/2022

2022, September 4
Sunday Tonic 35
Facilitator: Mama Mercy Babatope
Summary: Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW)

God my maker - Psalm 139:1-6; 13-18.
In this Psalm (which is really a prayer) David opens his mind to the fact that God is omnipresent (everywhere simultaneously) and omniscient (all-knowing).
Knowing who God is in this way helps us to understand whose we are, just as it did for David. God our maker, intimately knows each and everyone’s hearts. He cannot be deceived.
So for us believers today, there are still a few lessons to be learned from Psalm 139 to help us understand that God, our maker, plays a very important role in our lives.
1). The Creator knows all His creations very well. “ For You formed my inward parts, You covered me in my mother’s womb”
(vs 13). So we can begin to see ourselves and others through the Creator’s perspective. Every trait and characteristics we possess were put together by God, to bring Him glory. And even the thoughts that come to our minds are known by the Creator. The Bible teaches us to take our thoughts captive; that way we can control thoughts that do not bring glory to God.
2). We were created for a purpose. And the purpose is to bring glory to God. “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (vs 14). We were made to bring reverence to God. The lives of believers should the blood shed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
“Wonderfully” here means distinct, marked out, be separated, be distinguished.
3). The Creator is always in control. God is in control of this world even though it seems crazy. There is nothing accidental or random happening now without divine design and purpose. (See Romans 9:20).
“Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written. The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them” (vs16). God’s sovereignty is absolute and complete.
4). We cannot get away from the Creator. It is absolutely impossible to hide from God. God is everywhere all at once. “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?” (vs 7).
5). Our Creator’s thoughts for us are countless. We may think we have great plans for ourselves but the thoughts of our Creator towards us are perfect and precious. “How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I wake, I am still with You”.
(vs 17-18). See also Isa. 43:1-7 and Isa. 49:16.
God our maker cares for each and everyone of us. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to do the work of redemption so that you and I can freely relate to Him.
What type of relationship do you have with God your maker? Read and meditate upon Jer.18: 1-11.
Blessings

08/12/2022

Prayer for the Election of a New Prelate, Methodist Church Nigeria.

O God, who in your wondrous love watches over Methodist Church Nigeria for the past 180 years, fill the Electoral College with your Holy Spirit to strengthen and inspire them as they choose a new Prelate to lead us.

May they choose a shepherd for your Church,
who will please you in holiness, guide the people to spread Scriptural holiness in Nigeria and across the world as our parish.

We pray that your Holy Spirit will hover over the one who is chosen to strengthen him to be a messenger of holiness, love, peace and unity in Nigeria and in our world.

O Lord give us a leader to lead Methodist Church Nigeria as God's battle axe for a revival and RENEWAL for a new Nigeria in Jesus mighty name.

We offer our prayer through our Lord, Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Lord in your mercy hear our prayer 🙏🙏🙏 copied
Ayodeji Okegbile

08/08/2022

2022 August 7
Tonic 31
Facilitator Mama Antonia Ajayi
Summary: Dr. Chinwe Ntekim
(OOW)
aith in Christ- Heb. 11:1-16
“Faith” is a phrase commonly used by believers and it means different things to different believers. It is a doctrine that is quite misunderstood in Christiandom.
So, what is faith? Are there different types of faith expressed in the Bible? And what are the benefits from faith in Christ?
Faith is “the confidence in God and His Son Jesus Christ; it is the response of the soul to the divine character as revealed by the Scriptures”- A. W. Tower.
Bible verses that come to mind are of course Heb. 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. This means that faith has nothing to do with the senses as stated in 1 Cor. 2:5 “that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”.
Faith therefore rests upon the character of God. It is enough that God said it, and even if His statement contradicts our human reasoning and senses, we still believe. “Let God be true, but every man a liar (Rom. 3:4) is the language of true faith.
The Bible breaks “faith in Christ” into five categories/types:
1) Doctrinal faith (faith based on believing the Word of God and the teachings of the Bible, Jude 3).
2) Saving faith (faith based on our belief that Jesus died for our sins and God raised Him from the dead, Romans 10:9-10).
3) Justifying faith (faith based on our belief that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1:9).
4) Indwelling faith (faith based on practicing the presence of God and always communing with Him, Psalm 23:4).
5) Daily faith (faith based on trusting God for our daily needs, Matt 6:11).
And we must remember that everyone’s faith is not on the same level as pointed out by Apostle Paul in Romans 12:3.
As believers, our salvation is by faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9); we walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7); our ministry is by faith (Heb: 11:6);we are strong by faith and we grow by faith.
Clearly, our success in the Lord’s service is proportional to our faith and not our strength (Heb. 11:6). So, for every believer, faith in Christ is a necessity for living and running the heavenly race.
Every benefit we enjoy as believers, starting from salvation and forgiveness of our sins, regeneration, indwelling of the Holy Spirit and answers to our prayers, are all based on faith. Where there is no faith, there is no true revelation (1 John 5:10).
Faith is not an escape from reality; it is not wishful thinking; not a refuge from hard work and definitely not a hiding place for weak character.
And our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ Himself, pronounced the benefit of faith “........Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” John 20:29.
We must have faith in Christ if we are to be useful in His service. May our Father grant us grace in this are of faith. Amen.

07/11/2022

2022, July 10
Tonic 28
Facilitator: Very Rev Simon Osunlana
Summary:Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW)

Love, The greatest Command
Luke 10: 25-37
The Ten Commandments can be broken into two subgroups or categories- love God and love your neighbor. Our Master, Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, preached love at every opportunity He had to give a talk. In His answer to the lawyer who asked Him a question about what to do to inherit eternal life, His answer to the man’s response of loving God and neighbor was “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live” Luke 10:28.
Apostle Paul further said “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” . 1 Corinthians 13:13.
So why is “love” the greatest command? In trying to answer that maybe we should ask what happens when we take love away from the things we do as believers.
- If we take love away from joy, we have hedonism; one is just going through life’s pleasures without the sanctifying joy of a relationship with our Savior.
- If we take love away from holiness, we are left with self righteousness and hypocrisy.
- If we take love away from truth, we are left with plain orthodoxy; right teaching but can’t win a soul for the Kingdom.
-If we take love away from missionary work, we have imperialism and colonialism.
- If we take away love from unity, tyranny results leading to hierarchical ministries where there is no care and concern for the sheep by the shepherds.
But once love is expressed in everything that we do for God and our neighbors, the picture changes. Our love for God leads to true joy, holiness and truth. Our love for our neighbors leads to true unity in which we are willing to listen to one another, share with one another, forgive one another and serve one another.
If we really regard love as the greatest command, our service to God and man will be faithful and selfless because we will know and be convinced that “love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”. Romans 13:10.
Therefore let us strive to “ love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself”. Luke 10:27; Deut. 6:5.
Do this to inherit eternal life.
Blessings.

06/20/2022

2022, June 19
Sunday Tonic 25
Facilitator: Mama Antonia Ajayi
Summary: Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW)

Desire For God
Psalm 42:1-11.
We all go through phases in life when we feel like our desire for God has diminished (spiritual disinterest). We are not excited by the gathering of fellow pilgrims; we will come up with the most frivolous excuse to miss Church; daily devotion becomes tedious.
Or we go through phases of one moment enjoying a wonderful worship with fellow pilgrims and the next moment we start looking at how unbelievers seem to be doing well or how there is so much trouble in the world.
So the question is “how can we maintain our desire for God?” Of course, desiring God does not come naturally to man. And the Bible tells us “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart” Jer. 29:13. So desiring God is not a half- hearted process.
David went through these phases, as did many other great men of God. Even Apostle Paul cried out “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice, but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15).
But there is hope as our Father wants to increase our capacity to desire Him. This has been made clear in the Scriptures.
Psalm 42:6 is the answer to how we can maintain our desire for God . “O my God, my soul is cast down within me; Therefore I will remember You from the land of the Judah........” . This is when we start to remind ourselves of the goodness and faithfulness of God. This is the time when we should recall the wonderful promises of our loving Father to us. And through prayers, worship and study of the Word, we begin to rekindle our longing for renewal of divine presence. Then we can pronounce, like Apostle Paul “that I may know Him.....” (Phil. 3:10). And like Asaph in Psalm 73:25, we can say “ whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You”. And like David, we can be confident and say “my soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me” (Psalm 63:8).
This is because once the Holy Spirit quickens us to life in regeneration, our desire for God and the things of God become rekindled.
So let us say this prayer meaningfully “ O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for me. I am painfully conscious of my need of grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. ......Begin in mercy a new work of love in me..........Amen”
A. W. Tozer.
Remain blessed as you continue in the pursuit of God.
Blessings.

06/06/2022

2022 June 5
Sunday Tonic 23
Facilitator: Rev Dr Olusola Womiloju
Summary: Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW)
The Holy Spirit Baptism
Acts 2: 1-21.

In the Old Testament, we read of incidental and periodic visits of the Holy Spirit upon men. But ever since our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, commanded His apostles to “wait for the Promise of the Father” and that they shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:4-5), the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in believers.
But who is the Holy Spirit and what is His function in the lives of pilgrims like you and I ?
The Holy Spirit is Deity present among men. He is God in contact with creatures doing in them and among them a saving and renewing work (1 Cor. 2:9-12); the Lord and Giver of life, Who proceeds from the Father and the Son (The Nicene Creed). The Holy Spirit is the third member of the Holy Trinity. He is all that God is.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives gives us the power (dunamis) to function (Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit, the Paraklet, is our Helper, Teacher, Revealer, Guide, Advocate and Intercessor. (John 16:7-15; Romans 8:26).
The help and power from the Holy Spirit produce Godlike character in us who were once wholly evil by nature and by choice. The Holy Spirit does not break our will but will invade it and bring it gently to a wonderful union with the will of our Father, making us new creations.
We simply cannot run the heavenly race without the Holy Spirit. And our loving Father, in His omniscience, offered the Holy Spirit to us as part of our salvation package. The Holy Spirit baptism is not a special deluxe edition of Christianity, set apart for some people as an upgrade. It is meant for every pilgrim (Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28).
So fellow pilgrim, I encourage you to take another look at the Holy Spirit baptism. When the Holy Spirit baptism stops being incidental in our lives (coming upon us once in a while) but becomes fundamental as our Father intended, then we can truly enjoy Him as our Helper.
Blessings.

05/16/2022

2022, May 15
Sunday Tonic 20
Facilitator: Dr. Maria Opara
Summary by Dr Chinwe Ntekim (OOW)

God’s grace is for all.
Acts 11:1-18.
The Scripture teaches us that the grace of God is available to everyone irrespective of race, economic status, education level or even religion. Jesus Christ Himself threw out an open invitation to the whole world “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavily laden, and I will give you rest”. Matthew 11:28.
But not everyone has reacted to God’s grace for all. It is therefore important for us to understand “God’s grace” and what it does for us.
The common theological definition of grace is “the spontaneous, unmerited gift of the divine favor in salvation of sinners and the divine influence operating in individuals for their regeneration and sanctification”; in other words, God’s favor toward the unworthy; God’s benevolence on the undeserving. (See Eph. 2:8; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:15 and Rom. 11:5-6).
All these passages describe “grace” as an attribute of our Father.
Apostle Paul, aka “The Apostle of grace” (used “grace 86 times in all his writings) also uses grace of God in another context- as an influence or force or acting of our Father that works in us to change our capabilities and capacities for Kingdom work, obedience and suffering for Christ’s sake.
In 1 Cor. 15:10, he said “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I have labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”. (See also 2 Cor. 9:8 and 2 Cor. 12:9).
In merging both aspects of the grace of God together, God’s grace is God’s character to treat us better than we deserve and it is also the action of power or influence of the character of our Father to produce real, obvious outcomes in our lives to manifest in our deeds as His children.
There are no words that can accurately describe the grace of God and no pictures to accurately depict it either.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. Heb. 4:16.
We ought to be greatly encouraged that we have come to the throne of grace and experienced this amazing grace which we don’t deserve and which is also an extension of His inclination in practical help. Let us tell others about this amazing grace of our Father.
As James Montgomery Boice put it” Just at this point, when the dark thunderstorms of God’s wrath against human sin are at their most threatening, a small crack appears. Grace shines through, and the promises of a new day dawns”.
Do not take His grace for granted.
Blessings.

05/02/2022

2022 May 1
Sunday Tonic 18
Facilutator: Sister Grace Ogbuehi
Summary by Dr. Chinwe Ntekim OOW.

Zeal without knowledge
Acts. 9:1-6
The issue of “zeal without knowledge” is one that should be taken very seriously among professed Christians. This is because a lot time and energy can be expended on things that are not spiritually uplifting and edifying without even knowing it.
Zeal is a wonderful tool when applied appropriately. Also, knowledge is great when it comes with understanding.
Zeal is “great energy or enthusiasm in pursuit of a cause or an objective; passion for something”.
A brief review of Saul’s life and actions show that Saul had great zeal for religion and intellectual expression of Judaizm. He was a true Pharisee and like all Pharisees, considered himself one of the gatekeepers to the “Messiah”. Yet, he and all the other people like him rejected Jesus and the message of the Way.
Zeal without knowledge and understanding therefore calls for each of us to conduct a thorough spiritual check up and correct any aspects of our lives that indicate that we have no real understanding of the race that we are running.
Take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire and discuss your answers with our Heavenly Father.
1) I am born again and that is all that matters ( no spiritual growth).
2) I am bent on keeping religious laws.
3) I go to Church every Sunday and I am on most of the committees. I do enough for God already.
4) I am not sure if I need a relationship with God. I know about Him.
5) I am still the way I have always been. (2Cor. 5:17; 2 Tim 3:1-5).
6) I can’t tell everyone that I am a Christian. (“When in Rome do as the Romans” concept)
7) Am I diligent about the things of God? Do I strive to learn more and rightly divide the Word? (2 Tim. 2:15).
8) Do I waste my time on idle philosophy and man-made ideologies? ( 2Tim. 2:16).
9) Is my mind set on the things of the spirit? (Romans 8:6).
10) Do I forsake the gathering of fellow pilgrims?
Remember, there is a difference between knowing about God and knowing God.
Blessings.

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